Now that I have started what's next?

[elmt1]

I hope everyone had a nice week and is looking forward to a productive off season. Shipping and travel caused some delays but I got my new used go kart last week. There are a few things that turned out well and a few misses.

What I got:

2016 Kosmic Mercury that seems straight, no cracks, dings or obvious issues
Rok VLR100 with about 30 hours on it
Wheels are 5" Douglas Magnesium with near new Bridgestone tires.
MyCron 5
219 chain with 10T - 80T rear sprockets
85mm Magnesium hubs front and rear
Axle N? Measures about 50mm x 2.08mm thick
No rear torsion bar
Oval torsion bar flat in front
Large or Medium/Large wide top (not certain which but likely large) T11 Tillot 1/4 padded seat that fits pretty well
Single seat stay on left none on right

I have pulled pretty much everything apart and put it back together to figure out what I have. Things that need to be addressed:

Rebuild top end and possibly bottom end of motor
5" wheels -- maybe OK for rain tires?
Seat has a significant crack in the bottom, maybe someone stepped on it or it bottomed out?
Clutch doesn't seem smooth and probably needs to be cleaned/rebuilt
Brakes need to be bled and probably should put on new pads
Replace bearings
Replace starter and on/off switches that are missing covers

I have the winter to clean things up, and get setup with spare parts etc. There are three items that I am not sure about:

1. The rules say 6" wheels but I am not seeing 6" rain tires on the Vega Web site so I am assuming I can get 5" Vega W5 rain tires and mount them on those wheels I have then buy new 6" Vega Green tires and mount them on some new wheels.

2. The exhaust had some surface rust on it that would like to clean up but from the rules "No grinding Polishing or Coating permitted" I am thinking I can remove the rust, but not paint it; is that correct?

3. Is the 10/80 gearing in the ballpark and is a 10 tooth front sprocket the way to go? I would have guessed that if there is clearance 11 would be smoother and not work the chain as hard.

Too bad we are heading into winter, it seems like a long time until spring but it gives me time to do some research and experimentation. I am also having trouble finding places that can supply engine and clutch parts. Soon, I will be able to visit some kart shops and can ask about parts and tools, try on suits, helmets and shoes as well as sit in seats to make sure I get something that fits.

Thank you!

--David

[Jackmazury]

David,

I’ll try and answer what I can for you and maybe someone else can chime in on the rest.
A 5” wheel would be a very uncommon thing. What do your bridgestones say on the sidewall? Should be somewhere from 6-7.1”. A 6 or 7 inch rear wheel will fit the 6” Vega greens. If you can send me a picture of the rear wheels I can identify what they are for you. 6” wheels are what you want for rain tires. Fronts are same width no matter what tire. At 30 hours your likely due for an engine rebuild, then at least you know the actual run time on it when you start. Rebuilding is much cheaper then seizing. As far as the seat crack you can try a fibreglass repair kit and see if you can patch it. From what I’ve seen the VLR clutches are not particularly free or smooth, however it’s a good idea to service it, and maybe someone else can chime in on this part. OTK have high brake pad wear so this will be a common maintainence item on your kart. Bearings and switches are a good idea to change for piece of mind. The w5 60 is the tire on their site that you are after. Joey at overdrive has these in stock, and are only available in the 6” width for the rear. To remove the rust off the pipe take a wire brush and get ready to scrape for a while, do not paint it. I believe the gear for VLR in Calgary is a 10 tooth front, an 80 is probably in the ball park for the rear. Karting isn’t the easiest thing to research on the web, sources are relatively scarce. Joey can also source all of the parts you require for the motor and ship them to you.

Jack

[elmt1]

Good morning Jack,

Thank you again for all the help. You are right about using the internet to try to figure out how everything works, it leaves you with more questions than you started with.

It sounds like I am still confused on the tire sizes then. The Bridgestones say: Front 4.5/10-5, Rear 7.1/11.0-5. I was thinking the 4.5 was width, 10 was total diameter and 5 was the wheel diameter on the front and that seemed to match my tape measure but your comment about the width makes me realize that even if the rear wheel is the right diameter it would likely be too wide for a 6" width tire and won't fit the rear rims I have. I was thinking that when they say 6" tires in the rules that they meant wheel diameter and I saw on the Vega USA Tech site that slicks come in both 5" and 6" where rain tires are only listed as 5" and I was assuming that meant wheel diameter, but the only thing I'm sure of is that I'm sure that I'm not sure

Fortunately, I will be in the neighborhood of several Kart shops over the next 6 weeks and will plan on stopping in. There are so many details, and I don't know what I don't know, so being able to talk with people helps a lot. I may also be able to enter a LO206 race down in Florida in November where the shop will take care of most everything except the driving, which would help with the setup and logistics part of the learning curve.

Thank you!

--David

[John Kwong]

Hi David,

Yes, karting has a steep learning curve but once you get some of the basics out of the way, the addiction of karting has taken hold. I have found that kartpulse.com has been a good discussion forum resource for all things karting and there are a few good discussions about the VLR motor.

Front 4.5/10-5, Rear 7.1/11.0-5 The last number, "5" is the wheel rim diameter where the bead of the tire sits. Any and all wheels or tires that you will be interested in will be 5 inch wheels. The Vega Greens used in the VLR class will fit on the wider rear rims (210mm) or on the narrower rear rims (185mm?) They have both been used successfully so you don't have to worry about buying new different rims. I personally like using the wider rims with the Vega Green tiires.

There are 2 online kart mags that are pretty good reading too. Vroom www.vroomkart.com and T-Kart mag https://www.tkart.it.

John K

[elmt1]

Good afternoon John,

I will definitely check out those forums and thank you for helping with the wheel confusion. I wonder if I am looking at the right place in the rules. I read the following:

2.5.1 Rok WCVLR is restricted to Vega Max 1 Green Tires on 6” rims ONLY. Rain tires: Vega Max 1 W5.

The 6" rims is what has me wondering since the rain tires only seem to come in 5".

Thank you!

--David

[Jackmazury]

David,

I’ll attach a photo. The specs read 11x6.00-5 where the 6.00 is the width which is what is referred to as the width on wheels regarding 6 or 7 inch. This is the only number that matters when it comes to tire selection. The 11, and the 5 can be ignored.

[elmt1]

Good evening Jack,

Thank you for the suggestions and for answering my questions. I took a few photos this evening, I hope these help show where I am at.

Thanks again!

''David

[Jackmazury]

7" width wheels 100%. That nose cone looks like it will require modification to fit the pushback bumper if you intend to race next year. John has a DIY somewhere on how to retrofit the pushback to older moulded bumpers, the other option is to purchase a new nose cone with the bolt on mounts which are a direct fit with the pushback. Overall looks like a pretty solid kart from what I can see in the photos, I would advise checking the wheel that is scuffed to make sure it is straight as it appears to have contacted something at some point, check the axle at the same time, simply spinning it will show a bend if present.

[elmt1]

Good morning Jack,

Thanks for the suggestions. I went out and check the axle with a dial indicator this morning and it is within about .003" at the ends of the axle, so I think it will be OK. The wheels/hubs appear to be straight when spinning the axle but to make sure, I will take off the tires when I get a chance and use the same setup to see where it is at mounted on the kart. Either way, I plan to at least buy wet and dry tires and wheels, it is OK if I can't use these. I plan is to use this for racing so I will check around to see if someone can show me/sell me what is necessary so that I can make sure it works with my setup or if I need to make some changes. I will be in Europe for the next few weeks and I have read that has been used there for a while, so hopefully someone can help me understand what I need. I see from the Comet sales site that what I need for a nose cone is something that is recessed with 8 screws. Mine seems to be molded without the attachment points.

Thank you!

--David

[Jackmazury]

David,

Yes you are correct about the bumper mountings. Those wheels will work fine with the 6” Vega greens. For wets you will want wheels with the 6”(180mm) width in the rear